BELGIUM-BASED footballer Luqman Hakim Shamsudin is confident of hitting the ground running with the national Under-23 team at the Hanoi Sea Games.
The 20-year-old, who plays for KV Kortrijk in the Belgian First Division A, was among the last few players to join the training camp in Kelana Jaya. He reported to coach Brad Maloney on April 30.
Luqman last played for the national youth team at the AFC Under-23 qualifiers in Mongolia last October, where the team topped their group to qualify for the upcoming tournament proper.
The forward, who does not play regularly in Belgium, skipped the AFF Under-23 Championship in Cambodia in February due to club commitments.
It will be Luqman's second Sea Games after the Manila edition in 2019, where Malaysia failed to reach the semi-finals.
A confident Luqman is hungry for success and wants to help Malaysia regain their Sea Games title, last won in 2011 in Jakarta.
"We are prepared. The recent friendlies against Timor Leste and the Philippines allowed us to build our game and understanding.
"I hope we can win the gold medal," said Luqman, who also has senior caps.
Luqman is among the more experienced players in the squad.
He is expected to pair up with Japan-based Hadi Fayyadh Razak in attack.
Maloney is using the Sea Games to prepare his players for next month's Under-23 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan, and the FA of Malaysia (FAM) have not set a specific target.
Malaysia will open their Group B campaign against Thailand on Saturday before taking on Laos (May 11), Singapore (May 14) and Cambodia (May 16) at the Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh.
Only the top two teams in the group will advance to the semifinals. Malaysia last won the title in 2011, beating Indonesia on penalties in the final.